1. Field of the Invention
The described embodiments relate generally to wager gaming machines. More particularly, they relate to returning credits to players when a fault condition occurs during game play on a gaming machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, when a game experiences a fatal error on a gaming machine, it is likely to cause the machine to crash and creates what is sometimes referred to as a “red screen.” In some scenarios, this error is fatal meaning that the machine does not recover. When this happens the player's credit balance is, in most cases, unknown. The player disputes the amount with the operator and the operator is likely to refund money, depending on the amount. This process is imperfect since the amounts are not exact and the process is time consuming. This way of handling game errors also keeps the player away from playing while the amount in dispute is being settled. Also, the money given to the player may not be accounted for correctly or reconciled with a host server. Currently, the casino operator approaches the problem by taking the least expensive (and least resistant) route to resolving the problem and getting the patron back to playing on the gaming machines. This is often done by negotiating a certain amount with the patron and, if the amount is not over a certain threshold, giving the casino attendant the discretion to return credits to the patron and resolve the problem, known as a “hand-pay.”
When there is a critical or severe error, the gaming machine may re-load and start. In the process and as a result of an operator turning a key to open the machine, it loses most if not all of the credit data it had stored, typically in non-volatile memory. In some cases, game state information is transmitted to a host server. If an error occurs in the middle of a game (e.g., while a wheel is spinning), the server is normally not informed of what happened until the game is done. This is because the server does not need to know what is happening in the middle of the game, only what the state is at the end of the game. If there is an error on the gaming machine in the middle of the game, the server will want to know if the game has ended, otherwise the data on the server is unresolved and further game play may be disabled. The host server may know what the initial credits were, but will not know the how many credits there were or the amount of any bets, wins, or bonus amounts in the middle of a game. In this case, there is no expedient and accurate way to reconcile the credit amounts on the gaming machine and on the server. It would be preferable to make it easier to reconcile the amounts and resolve any problems, that is, have a self-service or automated version of a hand-pay.